Chaplain’s Corner – What Good Is It?

Aug28

36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (Mark 8:34-38).

The question in the passage above is known as a rhetorical question, which is a figure of speech used to make a point. Jesus is not looking for an answer; he is actually making a profound statement: It is no good to gain the world if in doing so you give up your soul. There is nothing of value that comes close to the value eternal life. We might say it like this, “Is it really worth eternal life with Jesus in order it to ______ (you finish the sentence)?”

We can’t buy eternity with our own goodness:

I ponder the word “good” quite frequently. We use this word in many ways. It can actually be a noun, verb, or adjective. If you ask me how I’m doing, I might say, “I’m good.”  It might have been more proper to say I am well, especially if you are asking me about my health. But it’s not improper to use the word good if I mean that I don’t need anything right now (it might be incorrect, but it’s not improper).  In that context, good means whole, productive, useful. Another use of the word is to describe someone’s actions, such as “He’s a good person.” We know people who are good workers, good spouses, good parents; generally good people because they are generous and kind and always do the right thing. However, in the economy of Jesus, human goodness doesn’t buy your eternity. In our culture where we are surrounded by evils on every side, it is so easy to succumb, to think, “It’s not that bad,” or “This is nothing compared to what I’ve seen other people do.” But the world is not our standard. The Bible is the standard for believers. All our goodness is as filthy rags, according to Isaiah 64:6. The only thing of redeeming value is believing what Jesus did for us on the cross. We can’t earn our way to eternal life; we can only get there by accepting what Jesus did on our behalf.

What good is it? You remember the story of the rich man who asked Jesus: “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus explained that he basically must keep all the commandments perfectly and give all of his possessions to the poor. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Jesus responded “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:16-30) Nothing we can do is good enough to buy our ticket to Heaven. But, glory hallelujah! with God all things are possible!

There is nothing good enough here on earth worth trading for eternity:

This passage also points to idolatry in all its ugly forms. It points to anything that we desire more than Jesus. When we are about to make a choice to say, do, or think anything that puts ourselves or anything else in place of Jesus on His throne, we should ask ourselves, “What good is it to have this worldly thing? Is it worth it to do this or to have this and to lose my soul forever?”

Jesus is really talking about surrender. He is trying to explain to his followers that He has surrendered to a violent horrific death on the cross in order to pay the price for our sins. He is saying that we must also be willing to surrender. We can choose to put first the things that matter here on earth and thereby guarantee hell, or we can choose to follow Him and thereby gain eternal life. This passage is not necessarily saying that we must literally die for the gospel in order to be saved. But it is saying that to demonstrate our faith in Jesus, we must die to self; we must die to the thought that we can do this for ourselves or that any worldly thing matters more to us than Jesus.

I Surrender All (lyrics by Judson Van Deventer)

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him,
In his presence daily live. (Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at his feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that thou art mine.
(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to thee,
Fill me with thy love and power,
Let thy blessing fall on me.
(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to his name!

Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – What Do You Want?

Aug21

What a great question. It’s a perfect response when someone comes to you and says, “Can you help me?” I bet you get that question a lot! Of course, we might not want to ask what they want because of fear that they will ask for something we are not prepared to give. Or we might not ask it because we are presuming to already know that they want. Whenever I’ve been asked that question, it forces me to think about my specific wants and to be more thoughtful and specific in my request.

In the latter part of the first chapter of John we read about an event immediately following Jesus’ baptism. When Jesus first met Andrew, who at the time was a disciple of John the Baptist, he asked him: “What do you want?” Andrew wanted to know where Jesus was going, and Jesus invited him to come with him. Andrew became the first of a tightly knit team of followers of Jesus. It’s clear that Andrew wanted a relationship with Jesus (John 1:35-40; Acts 1:13).  Andrew, like Jesus’ other apostles, was in it for the long haul.

In another example, Jesus was not so encouraging because he understood the motivation for the question.  James and John had come to Jesus to ask “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” (That’s pretty cheeky if you ask me). Jesus asked “What do you want me to do for you?” In other words, he wanted them to be more specific before he agreed to anything. They said “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Jesus basically denied their request, for their own good. He knew that they wanted the glory without the sacrifice (Mark 10:35-40).

At another time two blind men acknowledged Jesus as “Lord, Son of David” and asked him to “have mercy on us.” Jesus asked them “What do you want me to do for you?” They were very specific in their response: “Lord, we want our sight.” The scriptures say that “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (Matthew 20:29-34).

What do we learn from these dialogues between Jesus and those to whom he asked the question?

Basically, I think we learn that Jesus wants to know our desires, he listens, he responds, and he doesn’t always give us what we ask for. However, digging deeper, don’t we wonder why Jesus sometimes gives us what we ask for and other times he chooses not to?

There are those basic, foundational requests, such as Andrew’s request to follow Jesus. And there are those who like the blind men who asked with desperation and humility, acknowledging Jesus Lordship:

  • I want to see!
  • Help me to believe!
  • Rescue me, save me!
  • I want to follow you wherever you go!

These requests are made boldly, with a desire to honor God and the confidence that with Jesus all things are possible. We are encouraged by these Bible stories to go to Jesus with these sincere requests.

When Jesus asks “What do you want?” he also wants our motivation to be for His glory. I admit that my big problem is pride, and trust me it is a big problem. I’m more like James and John than Andrew in what I want. I want to be rewarded and recognized for following Jesus, but I’m not sure I’m willing to do what is required to truly sacrifice all for Him. It’s easy to say we are until we are placed in an actual situation. So I pray for true humility. If you are inclined to pray for me, this is my prayer request, that I would exalt Jesus and Jesus only in everything that I think, do, and say. That is what I want.

How will you answer Jesus when He asks you that question?

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Why Are You So Afraid?

Aug14

“Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them” (Psalm 89:8-9).

This is another message in the series on questions that Jesus asked.

Do you ever feel fear? Maybe you hear a strange noise at night and are concerned it might be someone trying to break in. Maybe you or someone in your family has some strange symptoms and you are afraid it might be a serious medical condition. Maybe there is someone in your life who has abused you and you are fearful that it will happen again. Maybe you are always fearful that there will be too much month at the end of the money, and how are you going to pay the bills or feed your family.

Maybe you know the fear is irrational but you are afraid anyway. For the majority of my childhood and even teen years, I was extremely afraid of dogs and pretty much any kind of animal. In fact, I’m embarrassed to say that I caused my baby brother to be hurt because of my fear. We were playing in my grandmother’s front yard. I was seven, and he was just months old. I saw something coming toward us, hardly taller than the grass. I realized it was a kitten, and in panic I hurriedly picked up my brother to save him and then dropped him as I was trying to climb the porch steps to bring him to safety. He had to have stitches in his forehead.

I used the word “feel” because that’s what fear is. It is a feeling. It is an experience. It can become a physical reaction when our adrenal glands start pumping, and that will prompt a physical response of fight or flight that may or may not be appropriate to the actual situation. I am not trying to imply that the situations causing fear are imaginary or less terrible. They are very real and very serious. However, it is our response to those situations that I am addressing.

Jesus had lots to say about being afraid, as did his Father before him. I counted 75 times in the NIV that the command (yes, command) was given: “Do not be afraid.”*

  • God told Abraham, Hagar, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses “Do not be afraid.”
  • Moses told the children of Israel, the leaders, and Joshua “Do not be afraid.”
  • Joshua told his leaders and the children of Israel “Do not be afraid.”
  • God told Gideon, and Samuel told the people “Do not be afraid.”
  • Jonathan told David, and David told Solomon “Do not be afraid.”
  • The Lord told Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel “Do not be afraid.”
  • Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, and Zechariah relayed the message to the people they served “Do not be afraid.”
  • The angel Gabriel said to Joseph, Mary, Zechariah, and the shepherds “Do not be afraid.”
  • Jesus said to his disciples and other believers “Do not be afraid.”
  • The angel said to the women who were looking for Jesus after he was crucified “Do not be afraid.”
  • Jesus spoke to Paul in a vision “Do not be afraid.”
  • Jesus spoke to John in a vision “Do not be afraid.”

The situations represented in the above examples are major, life and death situations. They are situations with apparently no way out. God is asking his people to trust him, to relocate, to serve him, to go to war, to deliver unpopular messages to wicked people, to believe the unbelievable, and all with severe consequences. But the message does not end there. Here is the complete message:

  • As Moses said to Joshua in Deuteronomy 3:22: “Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.”
  • As Jesus says to his disciples in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
  • We need to keep things in their proper perspective as the writer of Hebrews reminded us in Hebrews 13:6 (quoting Psalm 118:6): “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

Jesus asked the question, “Why are you so afraid?” when he responded to the disciples who were with him in a boat in the middle of the lake in the middle of a storm (Matthew 8:23-27).  I don’t know if you have ever been in this situation, but I have. No matter how hardy your boat is or how experienced the driver, you are mostly out of control when the storm, winds, and waves are so strong. The men in the boat certainly had reason to be concerned. As experienced as they were on the water, this was truly a violent storm and the boat was in danger of being swamped.

Jesus asked the question, not because of the danger of the storm, but because He was right there with them. And then the Scripture says He rebuked the storm. That’s a pretty bold response. It’s Jesus. He could have just calmed the storm. He could have just stopped the storm. But he rebuked the storm. Some writers suggest that the storm was caused by Satan because he had a small target (the boat) containing his greatest enemies (Jesus and the disciples), and he thought he could take them out in one fell swoop. Jesus would have known that, because He knows all. He knows what is behind every storm that assails us. He not only knows all, but He is everywhere all the time, and He is all powerful. Why should the disciples be afraid when Jesus is right there with them?

Jesus asked the question, not because of the danger of the storm, but because He was right there with them. And then the Scripture says He rebuked the storm. That’s a pretty bold response. It’s Jesus. He could have just calmed the storm. He could have just stopped the storm. But he rebuked the storm. Some writers suggest that the storm could have been caused by Satan because he had a small target (the boat) containing his greatest enemies (Jesus and the disciples), and he thought he could take them out in one fell swoop. Jesus would have known that, because He knows all. He knows what is behind every storm that assails us. He not only knows all, but He is everywhere all the time, and He is all powerful. Why should the disciples be afraid when Jesus is right there with them?

Brothers and sisters, when your situation is troubling, when misfortunes occur in your life, call on Jesus. He has promised he will be there with us; he will fight with us and for us. He has not given these words to us as a platitude or even a suggestion. They are a command! When that irrational fear, that thing that keeps you awake at night or paralyzed with inactivity during the day seems to overcome you, use these verses to take away your fears. Call on Jesus; call on the Holy Spirit, just as He has commanded us. He will calm the storm, He will rebuke the enemy, He will provide for us, and He will give us peace.

Jesus asked the question, not because of the danger of the storm, but because He was right there with them. And then the Scripture says He rebuked the storm. That’s a pretty bold response. It’s Jesus. He could have just calmed the storm. He could have stopped the storm. But he rebuked the storm. Some writers suggest that the storm could have been caused by Satan because he had a small target (the boat) containing his greatest enemies (Jesus and the disciples), and he thought he could take them out in one fell swoop. Jesus would have known that, because He knows all. He knows what is behind every storm that assails us. He not only knows all, but He is everywhere all the time, and He is all powerful. Why should the disciples be afraid when Jesus is right there with them?

Brothers and sisters, when your situation is troubling, when misfortunes occur in your life, call on Jesus. He has promised he will be there with us; he will fight with us and for us. He has not given these words to us as a platitude or even a suggestion. They are a command! When that irrational fear, that thing that keeps you awake at night or paralyzed with inactivity during the day seems to overcome you, use these verses to take away your fears. Call on Jesus; call on the Holy Spirit, just as He has commanded us. He will calm the storm, He will rebuke the enemy, He will provide for us, and He will give us peace.

Do.Not.Be.Afraid.

In Christ,

Judy

*If you would like to research this for yourself, it’s easy. Just go to biblegateway.com and insert the words “Do not be afraid” in the search box. I’ve actually done it for you right here.

Chaplain’s Corner – Who Do You Say That I Am?

Aug7

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’  Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven’” Matthew 16:13-17).

Continuing with the theme of exploring questions that Jesus asked, here’s another. It’s one of his more “famous” questions because of the impact of the answer. Notice that for all his teachings, “people” still didn’t believe that Jesus was divine. They thought he was a prophet, a wise man. However, God put it in Peter’s heart to understand the divinity of Jesus (Jesus said this was revealed to Peter by his Father in heaven). Peter’s answer became the foundation of the church; it is our Confession of Faith as believers.

As important as it is, let’s be honest. It’s really hard to get our arms around the idea of divinity, of true godliness. Who could fault Mary and Joseph for not really understanding, as we read last week? Who could fault the disciples for not getting it? I often wonder what my reaction would have been had I met Jesus when he was still walking on the earth. Even today, despite all the proof, God has to put it into our hearts if we are to have any real understanding.

I enjoy studying history. I have been reading lately about 15th and 16th century England which was, as it continues to be, ruled by kings and queens. Kings (and queens) in that time were thought to rule by divine right (I’m not sure what they think today). As sons and daughters–princes and princesses–proliferated, there could be challenges to exactly who possessed divine right at the time; however, most people did not question an anointed king’s divine right to rule. Perhaps it was easier to believe in the concept of royalty and divinity during those times when the people accepted the fact that they lived in subjection to a king, believing that the king was empowered with those rights by God. For us here in the United States, raised to be independent, raised under a government by the people and for the people, it is more difficult to understand the concept of living as a subject to a king who has power over us.

What is helpful, I believe, is to compare our King of Kings to those earthly kings. Most earthly kings were very human in their weaknesses. It was accepted when a king was a glutton, a drunkard, a womanizer, spendthrift, cruel, etc. However, our King is none of those things. He is perfect, and He is loving and full of grace. I can’t imagine subjecting myself to an earthly king; however, it is my joy to lift my hands in total praise to my heavenly King.

Just as Peter’s answer defined his faith, our answer to this question defines each one of us. It is core to who we are. To understand that Jesus is the Christ, son of God and one of three persons of the Trinity, we must believe his divine attributes. Even so, I pray often like the father who asked Jesus to rid his son of a demon, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24 NIV)

Jesus understands the challenge of believing in his divinity. He asked the question of his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” as a way to instruct them, and we should remind ourselves often of Peter’s answer, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” in order to re-orient ourselves to Jesus as God. Who else would you want to stake your life on? Who else would you want to worship?

Jesus, thank you for your patience as we grapple with our inability to truly comprehend your greatness. Give us wisdom. Help us to continually call on the Holy Spirit to help us in our unbelief to gain greater knowledge, and even more, a sweet relationship with you so that we can experience firsthand your character and attributes. We thank you that you have called us “friend,” and we give you all glory, honor, and praise as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Did You Not Know?

Jul31

I recently got to thinking about the questions that Jesus asked when he walked on the earth. I know that asking the right questions is a great way to teach and to learn, so I thought this might be a another good way to study the Word. Chronologically, the first question I came across was the question Jesus asked his parents when they found him in the temple. Incidentally, these are also the first recorded spoken words of Jesus. At the time, Jesus was twelve years old and his family had made their annual journey to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Jesus had been missing for at least three days. When he was finally discovered in the temple, Jesus asked his parents “’Why did you seek me?’ he asked. ‘Did you not know that I must be about my father’s business?’” (Luke 2:49 NKJV). The implication was that he believed his parents should have known where he would be and what he would be doing, but the Scripture says that they did not understand it (Luke 2:50).

This reminds me of times when our sons were teenagers.  NOT.  Of course, there were times when we didn’t know where they were, and that is a very heart-wrenching feeling. You know that being a parent means that your heart is walking around in someone else’s body.  And I’m sure there were times when I said “Where have you been?” and they answered, “Don’t you remember, I told you I was going….” However, the difference is in what they were doing and their motivations for doing it. As teenagers, they were more than likely about monkey business, not their father’s business. Some observations come to mind about this situation.

First, we know that Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was special from the time of his conception (Luke 2:21-38). However, even knowing what his destiny would be through the prophecies probably did not extend to knowing how it would play out in their daily lives.

Second, the family made at least an annual journey to Jerusalem, so Jesus would have been somewhat familiar with this big city, and presumably, the temple and temple customs (Luke 2:41-42).

Third, in the tradition of the day, Jewish boys began to learn their father’s trade at an early age. We know that Jesus learned the carpentry trade from his father and probably practiced it until about the age of thirty based on the reaction of the people of Nazareth when he later came home to preach.  They asked, “Isn’t this the carpenter?” (Mark 6:3).  But we also know from Luke 2 that he also considered God to be his Father and that he must learn his Father’s business as well. In fact, by the age of twelve he already knew enough to amaze the rabbis with his understanding and his answers.

Fourth, while he may have sounded impertinent, Jesus was without sin and we know that he submitted to the authority of his earthly parents until such time as he was called into full-time ministry. Once his parents found him in the temple, we read in Luke 2:51 that “…he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.” Children, do you read this?

What do we learn from this passage? I believe there are three basic applications.

  1. It is wonderful to have familiarity with Jesus. Like his parents, we would hope to be walking and talking with him daily. However, we must never take him for granted or ever forget that he is God’s son and part of the trinity. As Natalie Grant sings, “When did I forget that you’ve always been the king of the world?”
  2. We can always find Jesus with his Father. In fact, we know that Jesus sits at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:20). And we know and therefore can trust that Jesus and God are always synchronized in their efforts (John 5:19-20, 30; 8:28; 12:49).
  3. If we are to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we must also strive to be about our heavenly Father’s business.  “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV).

What if others could say that they always knew where to find us—in God’s company?

What if our testimony would be that we were always being about our Father’s business?

What if we actually followed God’s example and walked in the way of love?

Jesus pointed us to heaven by showing us how to live on earth. By following His example, we can achieve the closest thing to heaven on earth.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Integrity, Part 6: Completeness

Jul24

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

We have been focusing on integrity—what it is, why it is important, and what it takes. Last week, we said that “a thing, or a person, is not sound, unless every part is functioning optimally and working together as a system.” This applies to us as individuals—we must be striving to be whole and sound in each aspect of our lives in order to have integrity. This also applies to us as a ministry team. Each of us must be striving to be whole and sound individually in order for Nashville Rescue Mission to demonstrate total integrity as a ministry team. We can’t be incorruptible as a team if any of us is corruptible as an individual. We can’t be sound as a team if we are not striving to be sound as individuals (notice that I emphasize our strivings because we will not be perfected this side of heaven).

In the movie, Jerry Maguire, Jerry (played by Tom Cruise) declares to his estranged wife (played by Renee Zellweger):  “You complete me!” Some people think that is the most romantic statement ever made; others think that it is ridiculous. Guess what I think: I think it depends on your meaning. If you mean that two halves make a complete whole, while the math works this does not make for a sound, enduring relationship because it implies neediness for fulfillment by the other. If, however, you mean that we are each mature and functioning optimally in our own strengths and together we make a union that is even sounder, then I think it is a powerful concept. Think of our body as composed of many body parts. You know that if one body part is not functioning as it should, it affects the entire body’s effectiveness.

Recall that in the Chaplain’s Corner on “Singlemindedness,” we said the word “integrity” and the word “all” have some similar concepts. Colossians 1:15-20 makes it clear that Jesus possesses all of God’s fullness, and that God, in Jesus, holds all things together:  “15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I love you all and I pray all good things for you. My prayer for you is that you desire all good things for yourself–including integrity, incorruptibility, soundness, and completeness–and that you pray diligently for them. The scriptures say that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

We serve together on what I think is the most amazing mission field in Nashville. Where else does God bring so many helpless, hungry, and hurting men, women, and children every day? And God has brought each of us here with the opportunity to minister to these precious souls. We get to provide for their immediate needs as well as their longer term spiritual needs. We each bring important gifts to our work here, all of which contribute to the integrity of the whole team. I pray that together we will be used mightily for God’s purposes, and that we will have a single-minded, integrated focus on doing everything in our power to be good and faithful servants in the name of Jesus. I pray that nothing will distract us from this incredible mission.

In Christ (He who holds all things together),

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Integrity, Part 5: Soundness

Jul17

The last few Chaplain’s Corners have been about integrity. We spoke of the need for single-minded focus on the pursuit of integrity. We learned that the definition of integrity includes incorruptibility, soundness, and completeness. Today I’ll focus on soundness, using this verse: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

When I taught middle schoolers in Sunday School, this verse was one of the key verses that I always taught. However, this verse is not just for kids. It applies to each of us until the day we die. It references growth, and I love that this instruction for growth is four dimensional.

When we think about these dimensions of life, we sometimes think of balance, as in “life balance.” Once while participating on a panel of women leaders, I was asked how I managed to accomplish life balance. I laughed and said I had not managed to accomplish life balance, and it was not necessarily my intention or goal as the way to live my life. (I think the audience of women was shocked that I dared admit this.)  As a wife, mother, and business-owner as well as being very involved in my church, I was a very busy woman. However, as I explained, my family was my life, my work was my life, my church was my life, and to manage all that, I also had to take care of myself. I wasn’t always the best at all of it, but I could not imagine forsaking one for the other.

You see, the paradigm of “life balance” implies compartmentalizing all these dimensions; however, as the verse above implies, a preferred paradigm is an integrated life where we pursue all four dimensions with a single-minded focus and goal of being more Christ-like. Here’s what the Bible has to say:

(1) Growth in physical being (stature:  Although Daniel could have had anything he wanted to eat and drink, he asked to be able to observe the strict Hebrew diet. And Paul used many athletic comparisons such as boxing and running, with a goal of staying fit for duty. Growth in physical being (stature:  Although Daniel could have had anything he wanted to eat and drink, he asked to be able to observe the strict Hebrew diet. And Paul used many athletic comparisons such as boxing and running, with a goal of staying fit for duty.

a. “But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king’s food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet….’Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see’…. At the end of the ten days they looked better and more robust than all the others who had been eating from the royal menu. So the steward continued to exempt them from the royal menu of food and drink and served them only vegetables” (Daniel1:8-16)

b. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

c. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

(2) Growth in knowledge and wisdom: God demonstrated through Daniel’s commitment and Peter’s ministry the blessings that would follow, including skill and maturity.

a. “God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in both books and life” (Daniel 1:17).

b. “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God” (Hebrews 6:1).

c. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation….” (1 Peter 2:2-3).

d. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

(3) Relational growth (favor with man):  Jesus himself was a model for developing strong relationships as we read about how he lived and worked and relaxed with his disciples and his closest friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

a. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5).

b. “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

(4) Spiritual growth (favor with God):

a. “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38).

A thing, or a person, is not sound, unless every part is functioning optimally and working together as a system. I think a pretty good analogy might be with the four tires on a car. I’m no mechanic, so you are welcome to debate this (as long as you come up with a better analogy), but whoever goes and just gets one tire balanced? Is that even possible? But if we spend our entire spare time working out to be physically fit, or if we never work out, we are going to be out of alignment. And who cares if the tires are balanced if the engine doesn’t work? It’s just no good to be mightily physically fit but without biblical wisdom. It’s no good to have supreme knowledge and wisdom, but no relationships with which to share it. And it’s worthless long term to have human relationships without the foundation of a Godly relationship on which to build. We should strive for soundness by pursuing growth all four dimensions, striving to be like Jesus in every way.

The point I want to make about all of this is the importance of integrating growth in all four dimensions–to the extent humanly possible given the mind, body, and environment God has placed us in–to develop into sound, well-rounded, mature, effective Christ-followers with integrity.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Integrity, Part 4: Incorruptibility

Jul10

Do you desire to be a person with integrity? As we learned last week, one of the definitions of integrity is incorruptibility. Incorruptibility itself is defined as something that incapable of corruption; someone who cannot be perverted or bribed; or something that will not dissolve, disintegrate, or decay.

The reason that God decided to flood the earth was because of corruption: “God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways (Genesis 6:12). When we corrupt our ways, then the earth itself becomes corrupted. It’s pretty scary, isn’t it, to think about the compounding effect of our lack of obedience? By the way, the basic definition of corrupt is to change from good to bad. Psalms 14:2-3 clarifies this definition: “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

So now we can make an assumption that if we are not corrupted, and we do not corrupt, then we are good.  How can we be good, and incapable of becoming bad?  And how can we become incapable of being corrupted, someone who cannot be perverted or bribed? How can we ensure that we will not disintegrate, and therefore maintain our integrity?

Here are some suggestions:

  1. Surround yourself with good friends, friends who appreciate the battles that we face and who will keep you accountable.  (And be that friend to others.)  Note the places you are more likely to find friends with Christian values, and avoid the places where you are more likely to find those who do not share your Christian values. It will be far easier to avoid corruption if you are surrounded by like-minded people.
  2. Zealously strive for purity. You have heard the term “garbage in/garbage out.” Be careful what you take into your brain—what you watch on the screen and listen to in your earphones. It will be far easier to avoid corruption if you are not filling your mind with trash but instead with wholesome words, music, and pictures.
  3. Replace bad habits with good habits. This involves diligently confessing even the least concern and resolving to begin doing something in its place that is more pleasing to God.  For example, if you regularly spend money on lottery tickets (just as an example—there are many others), then instead resolve to use that money to benefit someone less fortunate or increase your church offering, etc. Rick Warren says “Remember that your character is the sum total of your habits. You can’t claim to have integrity unless it is your habit to always be honest. A husband who is faithful to his wife most of the time is not faithful at all! Your habits define your character.”
  4. Adopt an attitude of gratitude. This will help you to build a stronger and more durable “skin” to withstand the slings and arrows that the devil uses against us by discouraging us and making us feel sorry for ourselves, which then make us vulnerable to corruption. If we look for blessings, we will find them. If we look for reasons to praise God, those reasons will present themselves. Stay invincible by staying thankful.
  5. Follow all the commandments, but especially the first one (which will make all the others easier): “You shall have no other gods before me.”  As you most likely know, this is very difficult. Even though we know God is our Creator, and how could we as His creation worship anyone or anything but Him, we do. Even Solomon, who God blessed so abundantly as the richest and wisest man on earth, “… offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places” (1 Kings 3:3). However, nearing the end of his life, Solomon observed “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
  6. Above all, constantly ask God for wisdom, which is the sound application of God’s Word. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

Why is it important to have integrity? This is our witness, our testimony, as followers of Christ. Paul encouraged Titus (a pastor) to not only speak, but to model a God-filled life to his congregation. He wrote: “Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives. But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, incorruptible in your teaching, your words solid and sane. Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around” (Titus 2:1-8 The Message).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Integrity, Part 3: Singlemindedness

Jul3

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29).

I’m not fluent in Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic, but I believe that in each of those languages, the word “all” literally means “all.” Young’s Literal Translation reads, “And — ye have sought from thence Jehovah thy God, and hast found, when thou seekest Him with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.”  The Orthodox Jewish Bible reads, “But if from thence thou shalt seek Hashem Eloheicha, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy lev and with all thy nefesh.” I don’t understand some of those words, but I do understand the word “all.”

According to Webster, as an adjective, the word “all” has these meanings:

  • 1: the whole amount, quantity, or extent of
  • 2: every member or individual component of
  • 3: the whole number or sum of
  • 4: every
  • 5: any
  • 6: nothing but 
  • 7: used up; entirely consumed 
  • 8: being more than one person or thing

Compare these meanings above to those for “integrity” below:

  • 1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values:  Incorruptibility
  • 2: an unimpaired condition: Soundness
  • 3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided: Completeness

These definitions have similarities. To have integrity is to be pure, whole, complete. Therefore, I could conclude that God’s command in Deuteronomy 4:29 (above) equates to having integrity in our pursuit of Him.  If we pursue the LORD our God with integrity, with our whole hearts/all/every/nothing but our heart and soul, our “all,” we will find Him.

This is the singlemindedness that Paul speaks of in the verse from last week: “Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

We are called to leave our past behind and reach forward to what is ahead. If we try to maintain some semblance of our former selves, we can’t be new creations. Isaiah writes: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

Jesus told his disciples in Luke 9:59-60 “To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’” Sometimes when we try to keep hold of the past, it is just wrong and we know it. When our old life includes breaking the law, whether civil or moral, then it’s absolutely necessary to flee and not look back. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back as they were fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah.  And in other cases, decisions about obedience are based on choosing between two rights, and this is when we must use discernment from the Holy Spirit to make the best decision. In the case above, Jesus called a disciple who then asked to put off his calling to care for a sick father. Obviously, it’s not wrong to take care of your parents. In fact, the Bible says to honor your father and mother. However, if taking care of your parents is an excuse to put off a call from God, especially when there are other options for ensuring that your parents are cared for (in this case), then the right decision is to obey God’s call as expeditiously as possible.

And in Luke 9:61-62 “Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.’  Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’” The example of the plow is a great one, and in keeping with Jesus’ other agricultural analogies. It’s impossible to plow a straight furrow unless you keep your eye firmly on the target at the far end of the field and your hands tightly on the plow handles. You just can’t plow even furrows with one hand while looking over your shoulder. If you can’t picture the plowing analogy, driving is also a good comparison. We tend to veer in the direction we are looking.

In The Life You’ve Always Wanted, author John Ortberg refers to Soren Kierkegaard’s book entitled Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing when he says that we have failed to achieve simplicity. According to Ortberg, this means we have failed to have a life that is integrated, that is focused on one thing, seeking first the kingdom (Matthew 6:33).  I am reminded of so many of the kings in the Old Testament, such as King Solomon of whom is it written in 1 Kings 3:3 “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.” James refers to this as being double-minded, and it’s not a good thing.

To sum up, if we believe that integrity is critical to being all-in followers of Jesus, then as we learned last week, we must first pray for the desire for godly integrity; and secondly we must be single-minded in our focus. I pray that you and I will be diligent in prioritizing the things of God and eliminating anything that is a distraction; seeking Him first and seeking Him only.

In Christ,

Judy

 

Chaplain’s Corner – Integrity, Part 2: Desire

Jun26

 “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29).

It seems that water balloon fights are now a “thing” at the Women’s Campus. I’ve seen the kids do battle at the playground and I’ve even heard that our ladies want to have a water balloon battle. I’m sure the water feels good when it’s so hot outside. Have you ever tried to fill up a balloon with water, or air for that matter, when it has a hole in it? The balloon won’t hold water, or air, when it has a hole in it. Well, duh, that wasn’t terribly profound. Lately, I’ve been frustrated by plastic squirt bottles that crack, and then when you squeeze them the air comes out in all the wrong places. Now that’s a problem when you are trying to use the contents of the bottle. Last week I wrote about the danger of a dam that won’t hold water because of chinks, erosion, and leaks. The point is that when the object in question is not intact, when it has a hole in it, then it won’t function properly. It lacks integrity which causes it to fail in its purpose.

The next problem comes when you try to patch the hole. Have you ever tried to patch a balloon? I tried to tape over the crack in my toilet bowl cleaner bottle, but it still wouldn’t allow me to squeeze out of the opening in the top like it was supposed to (so frustrating). In this case, I just needed pour the contents into a new bottle and throw out the old one. In the example from last week’s Chaplain’s Corner, engineers are filling in the holes, building backup dams, and all kinds of other fixes to repair, shore up, back up, and strengthen Center Hill Dam.

The good news, and I mean GOOD NEWS! in the gospel sense, is that God has made a way to fix people who are broken vessels. He does not want to throw us out like I threw out my toilet bowl cleaner bottle. He has made a way to repair us so that we are not just restored to basic functionality, but as believers in the life and work of Jesus Christ we are actually NEW CREATIONS with the ability to beautifully and fully live out our calling from God and have eternal life with Him. My heart wells up when I think about this. (I had to stop writing for a few minutes here so that I could just rest and rejoice in this amazing fact.)

As broken vessels, we do not have integrity. However, as new creations in Christ, we will have integrity, we will be whole. That means there will be no holes, no flaws in our glorified beings which we will possess when we exchange this physical life for our immortal life. I have heard this referred to as the “already/not yet.” Until that day, we are called to participate with the Holy Spirit in becoming flawless, or sanctified. As new creations in Christ, we should be of one mind, committed to growing in Christ.

“Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

I daresay you know what you need to do. It’s not the knowing that’s the problem; it is the doing. It is the wisdom, capacity, and ability to obey. Many times in the Bible, God and Jesus tell us they desire obedience. Jesus said in John 14:23“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.  My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them”.

The starting point for true obedience is to have a desire to obey. And the best way to gain this desire is to pray for it. It’s as simple as that.  As you pray, meditate on God’s word, and ask God for the desire to fully and completely obey Him. When Paul says that he is forgetting, reaching, and pursuing, he means that he is praying and then obeying God’s Word.

Glenn often explains our Core Value of Extravagant Faith as believing that God is who He says he is, and that He will do what He says He will do. That is integrity in a nutshell. And that should be what we also aspire to, to be that good and wise servant, to be who we say we are and to do what we say we will do. Rick Warren put it like this: “The test of integrity is that your public life and your private life match—what’s in your heart and what’s in your life are the same thing. You ask yourself, ‘Would I want everyone to know about this decision that I’m making?’ The truth is, when it comes to integrity, even if you can fool everyone else, you can’t fool yourself. And if you violate your own conscience, you have to pay for that.”

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to begin praying for the desire to do God’s will, the desire to pursue integrity, and the desire to obey Him with your life. I would love to hear about how your prayers are answered, because I know they will be.

In Christ,

Judy