Be Wise

 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth. (Proverbs 24:3-7 ESV).

 

Today’s devotional may sound a bit pedantic. I might even be accused of “ranting” a bit; however, since I brought up the topic yesterday, I though a little follow-up might be warranted. I have heard some people who confuse being wise with blind herd mentality. That is not the wisdom of the Scripture. Such “wisdom” is the topic today. Wikipedia says:

 

Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, self-transcendence and non-attachment, and virtues such as ethics and benevolence.

 

Our proverb for today teaches that the house of our lives is best built with wisdom, which comes from God. Jesus talks about a house like that in a parable about wise and foolish builders (cf. Matthew 7:24-27): “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”  With wisdom we build our lives on the solid rock of the love of God in Christ. The commands of God give us firm flooring, the protective arms of God are like walls keeping out the cold, and the Word of God is like windows letting in God’s light.

 

I have participated in various roles in the construction of structures as small as a tool shed and as large as complex, multi-use complexes of commercial and religious buildings. I must confess that it doesn’t concern me if I build a tool shed without plans. Truth be told, I’ve done enough of those building that I can do the construction nearly flawlessly. You should note I said “nearly flawlessly.” Mistake in the construction of a tool shed can easily be corrected or simply covered over. That is not the case in building a more substantial structure. That requires three dimensional planning and organization. A small mistake can ultimately lead to a building that simply will not stand.

 

Our lives are like that. My encouragement to each of you today is to seek the best judgment and experience available in making your decisions. Since wisdom is perhaps as important as it ever has been in our lives, leave no source unconsulted. Start with the Scripture and move dimensionally to those with knowledge and respect in the area of concern. There really is too much at stake in this day of ours!

 

Nothing to Fear

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. (Isaiah 42:1-4 ESV).

 

The great white shark (you know… Jaws) is an incredibly fast, powerful killing machine. Typically full grown at 16 feet in length and armed with razor sharp teeth. They have little to fear, except the Orca. Better known as killer whales they are nearly the same in size though the Orca being faster and more maneuverable wins this battle nearly every time.

 

For almost 15 years, Salvador Jorgensen from the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been studying great white sharks off the coast of California. He and his colleagues would lure the predators to their boats using bits of old carpet that they had cut in the shape of a seal. When the sharks approached, the team would shoot them with electronic tags that periodically emit ultrasonic signals. Underwater receivers, moored throughout Californian waters, detected these signals as the sharks swam by, allowing the team to track their whereabouts over time. In 2009, the team tagged 17 great whites, which spent months circling Southeast Farallon Island feasting on the local elephant seals. But this period of steady hunting ended abruptly on November 2 of that year, when two pods of orcas swam past the islands in the early afternoon. In the space of eight hours, all 17 great whites abruptly disappeared. They weren’t dead; their tags were eventually detected in distant waters. They had just fled from Farallon. And for at least a month, most of them didn’t return.

 

When I read this article it reminded me of our Scripture today. We live in a time when fear is common and often seems overwhelming. Anxiety is increasingly becoming the number one problem psychologically among every age group. Without debating the truth of the dangers we face today, let me say there is a solution. It involves two simple steps. First, be wise. Some have mistaken wisdom for denial. The crises are very real; however, so is our God. So, second, trust in the Lord.  If you will, we have the greatest “Orca” defending us! God has already proven His strength and might in the resurrection. Even death cannot overcome our God. Don’t ignore the threats of our day; but, know that the Lord is greater than any peril we may face!

 

 

Pleasing God

 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:5-6 ESV).

 

Our reading today speaks about the Prophet Enoch having “pleased God.” How can someone’s life be summarized, “as having pleased God”? He pleased the God of the universe so much that he was taken up without suffering death. Twice in Genesis 5, Enoch is described as a man who “walked with God.” Perhaps it’s just the meanderings of my mind’s walk through life, but I believe that taking care of the poor is a large part of pleasing God. Did you know that “the poor” and “poverty” are the most cited topics (other than God) in the Bible? That ought to tell us something about our focus.

 

It’s easy to think of the poor as such a small part of our culture in America that we are doing a superb job of caring for those who are less fortunate than we. Most of us have a distorted view of the poor. We often see helping the poor as doing them a “favor.” Or, worse, we see the poor as people of third-world countries overseas. In fact, we are merely ignoring the pain and suffering at our doorstep. If you look closely at this picture, you’ll see the distinctive skyline of Nashville, Tennessee. Now, if you don’t live near there, don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. It could be repeated in any of scores of cities in our country, some worse than others.

 

So what can we really do? Let me suggest some general things that any of us are able to do. First, pray. That’s not the self-righteous rant of a person who doesn’t know anything else to do. It is the first and most powerful weapon against poverty that we possess. Second, volunteer. There are countless places in our communities that are in desperate need of volunteers in this day. I am well aware of the health challenge that the pandemic presents to volunteer work; however, I am also aware of the measures taken by most community support agencies to allow volunteers to minister in the safest way possible. Third, advocate for the needs of the poor. This means being informed about the places where our taxes, gifts, and donations to the government, non-profit organizations, and churches are allocated. And, don’t stop with being informed. Make your convictions known appropriately. Of course, use the language and actions of peace and grace, but speak on behalf of those who may not be able to do so. And, last, don’t assign blame to the poor, whether justified or not. Share the Gospel with all men, especially those are poor.

A Little Yeast

 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. (Galatians 1:6-10 ESV).

 

Yeast is a single-cell organism, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which needs food, warmth, and moisture to thrive. It converts its food — sugar and starch — through fermentation, into carbon dioxide and alcohol. It's the carbon dioxide that makes baked goods rise. The most common use of yeast has been in the making of bread, though makers of wine and beer have also used yeast for centuries to ferment the mixture to make it alcoholic. It is also used in scientific research, the manufacture of biofuel, and probiotics.

 

It is also used as an illustration in the Scripture. We see it in our reading today. These verses are from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. It seems that other preachers followed Paul’s missionary work there and convinced the new believers they needed to become Jews if they were to truly be followers of Jesus. The apostle has some very harsh things to say about these men and their beliefs. Most notable is found in our reading as he remarks that “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (v. 9). The intent was to help them understand the great danger of even a little deviation from the gospel. Jesus also spoke of this danger:

 

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:11-12 ESV).

 

The “teaching” Jesus referenced was the continual adding of more commentary to the means of obtaining forgiveness and a right standing with God. They altered the message of God which was never about our works and always about the work of God. The heart of the gospel is found in God’s extension of mercy to us because of the atonement of Jesus on the Cross. It is a grave mistake to believe that there is yet something that must be done to complete the justice served by Jesus’ death. And, before we come to believe this was just a result of the Jewish religious leaders, we must look at much of our own beliefs within the Christian community. Nothing… absolutely nothing needs to be added to the work of Jesus. Denominational requirements may be a necessary part of being a part of that group, but they are completely unnecessary in the inclusion to the family of God. That “leaven” exists in too many churches today. Trust the work of Christ alone!

A Day of Rest

 [Jesus said], “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:27-30 ESV).

 

There are over 200 cities in the United States, including Dallas, Washington D.C., and New York, that present a puzzle to most observers. As you travel through these cities you may notice white PVC pipes attached to the utility poles in some neighborhoods. They do not serve any purpose in housing utility line. They are a part of an “eruv.” An eruv is a symbolic boundary created with a string of fishing wire typically hung from a series of utility poles or other structures. The eruv creates a safe space for Orthodox Jews to carry certain items they otherwise would be forbidden to carry while outside the home on the Sabbath. They mark a religious boundary. It harkens back to a law found in the Torak still observed by many Jews today. It is a part of “keeping Sabbath holy.” It is a means of observing rest in community for many.

 

Our reading quotes Jesus as he explains the necessity of rest. It seems that God’s people had become weary and burdened by the heavy weight of observing the Sabbath, and Jesus hoped to redefine the meaning of Sabbath for them. The people were in need of rest, both in ceasing from hard work (shabbat) and being present together with God (nuakh). Jesus ushered in the promise and reality of both. It is an important concept that most Christians fail to observe at all. Our world has come to be a constant frenetic race to get more done. We are victims of our own creation of “bigger, better, more.” We should learn from the intent of eruv.

 

Jesus reminded the people of God’s actual intent for the Sabbath was unity with Him, creation, and each other as it was in the Garden of Eden (cf. Genesis 1-2). Jesus taught that the Sabbath was about mercy and was purposeful. It was supposed to point to him, the one promised through all of Israel’s prophets, the one who would restore the rhythm of creation. When followers of Jesus observe the Sabbath, we live as if this restoration has already taken place. We take a break from the broken rhythms of hustle and hardship to set aside a time of submission to his rule and enjoyment of his presence and to extend these things to the world around us. When we observe the Sabbath well, we become little resting places of God’s presence and thus a place for others to find rest as well.

Finding Meaning in Life

 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:7-11 ESV).

 

Recently while reading Clinical Psychiatry (I know… that’s awfully haughty to namedrop that journal) one of the articles cited a study surrounding the observation that most people don’t discover their meaning in life until they are 60 years old. In conducting interviews with 1,042 people aged 21 to more than 100 years old it was revealed that people tend to feel like their lives have meaning at around age 60, or more specifically, that’s the age at which the search for meaning is often at its lowest, and the “presence” of meaning is at its highest. It is important to know your “meaning in life” since knowing the answer could be a boon to your physical and mental health. It is commonly accepted that people tend to thrive with a sense of purpose.

 

Well, if you’re not 60 and want to know what the answer is to this question let me draw your attention to the definitive source of Scripture. Our reading today quotes Jesus’ teaching giving us the clue: I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (v. 10). I believe that the Bible often clearly teaches this principle of “abundant living.” Our problem is typically that we don’t recognize what creates abundance in life.

 

The Westminster Shorter Catechism, completed in 1647 by the Westminster Assembly, continues to serve as part of the doctrinal standards of many Presbyterian churches. I happen to believe many of these same principles. For example, Question 1 of the catechism is “What is the chief end of man?” In answer they say, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” There are many cited Biblical references: Psalm 86:9; Isaiah 60:21; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Revelation 4:11; Psalm 16:5-11; Luke 2:10; and Philippians 4:4 to name a few.

 

Let me simplify a bit. Abundant life is when we are children of God destined for eternal life with our Creator and Heavenly Father. Abundant life is when we know our gifts and abilities and use them in service of community bringing glory to the One who gave them to us. Abundant life is when we acknowledge the glorious nature of our God and praise Him for our being. I confess I learned that a long time before I was 60; however, I have gotten much better at the doing of it as time passes!

Pinocchio

 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For e all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! (James 3:1-5 ESV).

 

When God gave Moses ten commands for the people of Israel to have as a mandate for life, He included a simple statement about truthtelling: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (cf. Exodus 20:16). This is not the only reference to telling the truth in Scripture. There are hundreds of references to our speech in the Bible. Our reading is simply one of many. Most people know and accept the importance of this principle. In fact, many writers and “fact-checkers” have developed a new scale to determine how bad a falsehood is by rating it using the hero of Carlo Collodi's children's story, The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), a wooden puppet who comes to life as a boy and whose nose grows longer whenever he tells a lie: the more “Pinocchios” the greater and more persistent the lie.

 

Some people believe that lying is only a problem if you really hurt someone, or if you get caught. But God doesn't see it that way. God cares about the truth because our relationships depend on it. Like God, Christians believe that honesty is very important.

Of course, being honest is not the same as saying everything you think. If you don't like something, or you believe a comment someone made is pretty foolish, you don't necessarily have to say so. There are also times when telling the whole truth can cause too much hurt. These are those times when we should exercise more “grace-giving” that not.

 

Most of us have heard the example of people who hid Jews from harm in World War II and lied about it when German soldiers asked them. In that situation, the effect of deception was more in line with God's intention for relationships and caring for others. But rare exceptions shouldn't blind us to God's basic demand for honesty in relationships. If I am going to relate to you in a loving way, I need to be able to count on you for the truth. If I can't, I will feel manipulated, become suspicious, distrust your word, and eventually become alienated from you. Lying changes more than the facts; it also changes the liar. Look for honesty in every relationship and loyalty you extend!

 

Woodworking with a Lathe

 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. (Hebrews 12:3-7 ESV).

 

I’ve returned to the lathe in my woodworking. I’m turning bowls of various kinds from different types of woods. The picture you see here is just one of the recent projects I’ve completed. The wood is mesquite. It came from a tree that was damaged by ice several years ago on our property. Several large limbs were broken off from the weight of the ice. As I cleaned them up there was plenty of wood left big enough to use for projects and barbeque. We actually had nearly a third of a cord by the time I cut it all to size. This bowl came from one of the larger pieces. You can see the worm holes and defects I left visible for esthetic effect. I decided it would make a great indoor planter for some of the native succulents found in our area. When Mary saw me working on it in the shop, her first remark was, “You sure are making a mess. There’s a lot of sawdust on the floor.”

 

Well, there was. I’ve found that any work with bowl turning requires the removal of a lot of wood, therefore creating a lot of shavings and sawdust. The finished product is wonderful, but the process is messy. Some might even say the process is severe. Some of the tools I use are descriptive in their names: gouges, scrapers, and parting tools are just a few. When I thought about our reading today, I was reminded of the process of creating the bowl.

 

The “discipline” the writer mentions is not punishment for our sin. Jesus has already taken all of that in His death on the cross. Here the word is a reference to our training, or discipleship. As is true in any training, we should expect the process to be severe, often accompanied by hardship or difficulty. Removing all the unwanted material from the wood, leaving only the final product was severe, but the end result was certainly worth it. God does that in our lives as well. As a side not, the wood didn’t have any say in what it would become. That was left to me. So, God is the “artist” in this image also. He knows exactly where to make each cut and scrape to produce the best product of our lives. The process is not without real pain. However, it is always worth it. Don’t deny the pain, but embrace the One who is in charge of the finish!

 

Cleaning Your Cast Iron Skillet

 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10 ESV).

 

I’m not sure how old our cast iron skillet is. We received it as a “wedding gift” from Mary’s mom. I know she had used it for years prior to gifting it to us and we’ve been married for over fifty years. So, it’s old! But it’s still my skillet of choice when it comes to indoor stovetop cooking. Bacon and eggs cooked in it are the best. I rarely “clean” it since that’s how I was instructed decades ago. My understanding is that cleaning it can be tricky. In fact, instructions for cleaning a cast iron skillet often include a lot of don’ts: don’t use soap, don’t use steel wool, and don’t put it in the dishwasher.

 

Well, after I’ve taunted and tempted you with this picture and text, let me get to the point. We’re all a little like this cast iron skillet. We do need to be “cleaned” from our sins; however, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Let me deal with the wrong way first. You cannot do enough good works or dispensations to be forgiven of your sins. Besides, since we sin daily and often, who really has time to do enough good works, say enough prayers, or perform as many dispensations to “balance the scales”? God’s justice requires more than we are capable of giving to atone for our sins.

 

So, the right way to clean your spiritual skillet, your soul, is to rely completely on the finished work of Jesus. John is so clear in our reading today: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (v. 9). There are a couple of things to note. The word “confess” simply means “agree” (v. 9a). The meaning is along the lines of ageing with the truth that we are indeed in need of forgiveness. Remember, this letter was written primarily to believers. Being born again begins the process, but it continues throughout our earthly lives. We also need to recognize that the source of forgiveness is the faithful and just nature of our heavenly Father (v. 9b). This act is the essence of faith. It is the dependence we exhibit when we recognize we can’t do anything for forgiveness and only He can do everything necessary.  Rejoice and acknowledge your sin receiving full forgiveness from Him!

 

The Focal Point

 

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:31-34 ESV).

 

Leonardo da Vinci and other artists in the Italian Renaissance mastered the use of the focal point and the vanishing point, which give perspective to a painting. They learned that objects near you appear larger, while objects in the distance seem smaller. So, if you want to draw a house that looks natural, draw lines from the peak of the roof and the base of the foundation that extend all the way to the vanishing point on the horizon. You will begin to see the outline of the house, and then you can work from there. Similarly, the focal point in a picture is the point to which all elements in the picture draw your eye. It is another means of creating perspective. Often I find we are missing the proper perspective, or focal point, in our lives. We are either too narrow or too broad in our vision.

 

Christ is the focal point that gives perspective to our lives. Without a focal point, certain parts of life may loom too large, while other parts are not large enough. Everything is out of proportion; somehow it just doesn’t come together into a life that makes sense.

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (cf. Colossians 1:17). If our lives are centered in Christ, we will have the right reference point to guide all our pathways, to help us make the many decisions necessary for a well-balanced life.

 

This is the message Jesus gives the multitudes in the famous Sermon on the Mount which our reading today comes from. Here Jesus teaches us to “seek first” the kingdom of God “and his righteousness,” and all the things we need will be given to us (v. 33). Jesus is not setting in motion a principle of quid pro quo where we give something to get something. There is no concept in the Scripture that teaches God to be a “vending machine.” Here the concept is the same as Paul teaches with an agricultural example, “The Law of the Harvest” (Galatians 6:7). It is a matter of truth that God has established a sequence that when we plant something, it is the fruit of that something that we later are able to harvest. So, naturally, the proper perspective then becomes that our seeking the kingdom of God will always result in our needs being met. We find what we look for. It is a promise of God that is always honored. What’s your perspective?