Love... is Generous (part 2 of 2)

Generosity is, in my estimation, the greatest signal of love that anyone can show.  If love is the pursuit of another's best, generosity is necessary to exercise love. Generosity is the antithesis of self-interest and disdain.  Consider the words of Elder James again: 

"Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?" (James 2:15-16, NIV).

Now let's add the Apostle John's call into our considerations: 

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:16-18, NIV).

If I am actively pursuing (not just passively wishing for) the best of a person, I must be willing to give something of myself to secure it.  Perhaps it will be a monetary gift, but just as likely it will be something else.  The deepest needs of humans are not met with money.  Of course, money helps people secure some things they need (food, shelter, water, clothing), but people have greater needs than just the basics of biological survival.  This is why the rich have no advantage over the poor when it comes to the call to love.  Generosity is not defined by a person's net worth, but by their eagerness to use whatever he/she has for the benefit of the other (see 2 Corinthians 8:12).  In fact, the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to command the rich disciples in Ephesus to be "generous and willing to share" (1 Timothy 6:18) as they put their trust in God rather than wealth.  Those who are rich aren't more inclined to be generous than those who are poor; rather, those who are rich in love are more inclined to be generous than those who are poor in love.

The truth is, it is sometimes less generous to write a fat check than to take a few hours to spend time with a lonely person.  It can be less generous to write a check to support a ministry than to volunteer your time and energy to serve in that ministry.  If I choose to give one thing because it's easier or more comfortable than giving another, I must be willing to consider that I am not mature in my love.  I may be showing love, but it needs to grow up to be like the love of Jesus.

How did Jesus illustrate the love of God as He taught His disciples to love their enemies?  He pointed out how generous the Father is to His own enemies: "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:44, NIV).  How did He illustrate to Nicodemus how great God's love was for the world?  He told him that God gave His only Son (see John 3:16).  Paul reminded the Corinthians that Jesus was rich but became poor so that we who were poor might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9), and he reminded the husbands in Ephesus that Jesus loved His church by giving Himself for her (see Ephesians 5:25).

Ultimately, love means giving yourself for someone.  Your words, time, energies, attention, money, possessions and even thoughts (as you offer up prayers) can be generously lavished towards the best of another.  

Love is not focused on the cost to self, but on the benefit to its object. Consider this warning from the Wise Man found in the Proverbs:

"Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; 

for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. 

'Eat and drink,' he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
You will vomit up the little you have eaten

and will have wasted your compliments." (Proverbs 23:6-8, NIV)

Giving something is not generous if you're still focused on yourself and what it's costing you - if your heart is not with a person.  Love is centered on the best of the other and is eagerly willing to give what it can.

Love says, "You're worth it."  Love knows the cost but considers the cost to be worth paying if it will bring about what is best for the beloved.

How generous is your love, disciple? 

Love is... (part 1)

According to Jesus, our greatest concerns must be to love YHWH our God and love our neighbors.  These are the most important pursuits and goals we have as human beings.  LOVE.  I think it's safe to say, then, that the most important thing Jesus would teach us as His disciples is how to love.

If we're to learn how to love, we have to learn what love is.  It's unfortunate that something so fundamental to life and to God's universe should need to be learned, but the corruption we've experienced in our minds and hearts renders our understanding of love completely unreliable.  We have a lot to unlearn and then properly learn from our Master.  He is, after all, the universe's expert on love.  In the next several blogs, I plan to consider some of the key elements of love that Jesus teaches us as we become "perfect [in love] as our heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

What Love is Not
As we learn to fully love, we have to unlearn our false understandings of love which we have inherited from the world.  Here are a few of the misconceptions about love that Jesus would have us reject:

1. Love is the absence of animosity.  In other words, "I don't hate 'em, so I guess I love 'em."  I have personally heard many people say something like, "Well, I don't wish them harm or anything" when pressed about whether they are being loving.  
2. Love is a feeling you have about someone.  Falling in and out of love is a phenomenon that Jesus doesn't acknowledge in His teachings, though the world would tell us that it's a common occurrence - maybe even an inevitability.  In this view of love, it is a mysterious force that just hits us sometimes.  There's not much we can do about that!
3. Love is weakness.  Granted, this is usually articulated in dramatic movie or television scenes in which the villain waxes philosophical about how inferior the hero is because he actually cares about people.  Still, there are more people than we might think who have come to this conclusion (even if they aren't trying to take over the world).  Having been deeply wounded by those they have loved, many decide - whether consciously or not - that they are stronger if they do not let themselves love.
4. Love really only matters in the extremes.  You know the old sibling double-standard, don't you: "No one picks on my brother but me!"  We can treat each other terribly in day-to-day living, but we assure ourselves that when push comes to shove, we'll have each other's backs.  In this view of things, love is like a fire extinguisher: we're content to know it's there in case of emergency.
5. Love is for those who love back.  Reciprocated love is the easiest love of all.  Too many times we feel permission from the world to stop loving someone who has failed to love us.  Another's behavior can be the basis for our own decision to love him/her according to this view of love.
6. Love is just a physiological reaction to external stimuli facilitated by chemicals released...  For the materialists out there, love is just a scientifically explainable sensation or feeling which we have developed in our evolutionary journey.  It is a necessity for the protection and propagation of our specie. [ The materialistic point of view is contrary to Jesus' truth in so many ways, it's hard to know where to even begin in tackling this false view.  I guess I'd start here: "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  God is not explainable by science or evolutionary processes.  Love is so much more than this!]

What Love Really Is

Jesus shows us, in His life and teachings, that love is bigger and more beautiful than we could ever imagine or understand on our own.  Love is real and concrete, yet it is also mysterious and more complicated than the materialist's test tubes can quantify.  Here are some truths about love that Jesus would have us embrace in our process of maturing to become like Him as citizens making their home in His kingdom:

1. Love is the selfless pursuit of another's best.  Love has to act when it can act to accomplish what is best for its object.  Even when it necessitates suffering for self, love will move to bring benefit and blessing to another.  The focus of love is on someone outside of myself.
2. Love is rooted in the heart.  The apostle Peter wrote that disciples of Jesus should "love each other deeply from the heart" (1 Peter 1:22).  If the love we show does not spring from the heart, then it is hypocrisy and is unacceptable to God.  Why?  If you do not truly love someone (i.e. truly desire that she have what is best for her), then you will act in a way that appears loving when you actually have a selfish motive.  That selfishness pollutes the action and renders it unloving.  You've actually acted for your own best rather than the other person's best (see Matthew 6:1-18 for Jesus' commentary on such hypocrisy).  You won't pursue another's best if you don't really want it for them.
3. Love has to act.  "God so loved the world that He gave His only unique Son" (John 3:16).  God's love has always expressed itself in relationship.  So must ours.  As James, half-brother of Jesus and leader of the first church, wrote, what good is it to wish someone well if you do nothing to provide for their wellness (James 2:15-16)?  Pursuing someone's best is active.  When's the last time you saw police in hot pursuit as they sat idly by the roadside just wanting to catch the bad guy?
4. Love can be one-sided.  Love that isn't reciprocated is an especially beautiful love in Jesus' kingdom.  Notice that He doesn't really seem all that impressed with those who only love the ones who love them back:  "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?" (Matthew 5:46).  He praises the love that extends even to enemies and that leads us to pray for our persecutors. That is God's kind of love.  Imagine (if you dare!) what this universe would be like if God only acted for the benefit of those who always acted for His benefit.  To tell the truth, I don't think such a universe is imaginable because we have only ever known the reality of the God who shows kindness even to His enemies (Matthew 5:45).
5. Love is strength.  The ability to love as Jesus is teaching us to love is anything but weakness.  The fact of the matter is, it is beyond our own strength!  We can love this way, but only as we are filled with the power and wisdom of God.  Is it weak to say no to myself so that I can act for someone else's good?  Is it weak to be cursed and offer a blessing instead?  I say it's the greatest strength!  It's no difficult thing to lash out; it is a great power that moves us to be dignified and noble in the face of cruelty, fighting for the good of even our enemies.  This kind of love is rare precisely because it requires so much strength.
6. Love in all things.  Because love acts out of a genuine desire for another's best, it does not wait to show itself in the big things.  It is expressing itself constantly in the seemingly small things (saying hello, putting the grocery cart in the cart return space, paying attention to people) because its attention is on the other.  We notice the little things people do (especially the little things they do that bother us!), so love acts in such a way that others will know they are valued and cared for even in the little things.  Of course, love is ready in the clutch moments (like the Son of God suffering and dying on a tree) because it has trained to focus on others in everything else.

There is so much to learn about love and loving!  I'm so grateful that we have the absolute best Teacher there is and that He is willing to teach us.  Here's to learning the whats and whys and hows together!  Amen.

[up next: Love is... Generous]

Able and (Un)Willing

As I study the Gospel of Mark, my heart is moved and captured by the suffering that my Master underwent.  As limited as Mark was in details, his narrative makes it clear that Jesus had the power to escape what He faced and that He chose not to use it.

This especially strikes me as I consider the petty and cruel mockery of the passersby, the religious leaders, and those being crucified with Jesus.  Each group mockingly called on Him to come down from the cross and save Himself.  They obviously assumed He was helpless and, therefore, assumed that all of the fuss about this man had been clearly and grossly exaggerated.  Consider the leaders' snide remark: "He saved others, but he can't save himself!  Let this 'Christ', this 'King of the Jews', come down from the cross.  Then we'll see and believe!"

"He can't save Himself."

You see, they made the terrible mistake of assuming that because He didn't save Himself it meant He couldn't save Himself.  How little they understood about love!  Behold the incredible love of Jesus: He who was able to save Himself was unwilling to do it!  His humble and gentle devotion to His Father's will and our eternal good compelled Him to remain fixed to the tree of His own suffering, death and accursedness. 

Jesus' power was far greater than the power I have, but God has entrusted to me a measure of power in this world. My decisions have an effect and make an impact.  Under the training of my Master-Rabbi, I can learn to wield that power gently and lovingly.  I can learn to use my strength in ways that benefit others, even if it means I will be hurt or lose out.  I can choose to not act, even when acting would be beneficial to my own interests.  I can remain in a place of suffering and loss if I am convinced that doing so will please God and benefit people.

Does choosing to withhold power make someone weak?  Quite to the contrary, godly strength must choose to hold back for the sake of bringing life.  Imagine if God always did things just because He could.  Would any of us still be here?  Consider that Jesus could have commanded over twelve legions of angels to rescue Him (Matthew 26:53) or His followers to prevent His arrest (John 18:36).  He didn't.  Just like He didn't come down from the cross and save himself.

How are you using your power in your relationships or in your position at home, work, church, etc?  Are you learning from Jesus to act and not act according to love?  May it ever be so for disciples of Jesus so that the world may see the life-giving love of Jesus on display in us!  Amen.

From IF AND WHEN to BECAUSE

One of the most important shifts in attitude and thinking that can take place in the heart of a disciple of Jesus is the shift from IF and WHEN to BECAUSE.  Both ways are conditional: one is based on the condition of my own circumstances while the other is based on the condition of Christ's authority and command.

IF AND WHEN
The disciple with the IF AND WHEN mentality hears what the Master Jesus says through the Scriptures then reasons that he or she will surely have to get to taking that Word from the Master seriously if or when the time is right.

• "I'll forgive IF that person apologizes."  
• "I'll be generous to the poor WHEN I have more money." 
• "I'll pray WHEN I have more time."
• I'll _________  IF  __________. 
• I'll _________ WHEN _________.

As most of us know, if we wait for the perfect circumstances to do what we ought to do, chances are good we'll never get to them.

One of the fundamental flaws in this approach, though, is more than the practical matter of not getting things done (as terrible as that is by itself!).  The crucial problem here is really the attitude displayed toward the authority of Jesus.  If I operate according to the IF AND WHEN mentality, it shows that I actually see Jesus' words as advice or suggestion rather than authoritative commands.

This is the difference between a soldier in the military and a guest on the Dr. Phil Show!  In the military, you are given an order and you are expected to obey that order.  If you choose to disobey that order, you can expect some serious repercussions.  Your superiors can impose consequences on you because you are under their authority and you are accountable to them.  However, if you are a guest on the Dr. Phil Show and you are told that you should do this or that to have a better marriage or family or business, then it's up to you whether you're going to do it or not.  If the advice is good, of course you'll suffer the consequences of not following it, but Dr. Phil has no authority to impose consequences on you.  You're not accountable to Dr. Phil for what you do with his advice.

May it never be that I treat Jesus as if He were the equivalent of a Dr. Phil in my life!

BECAUSE

The more reasonable and realistic approach to the words of Jesus is the BECAUSE approach.  The person with this approach simply reasons that I will do what Jesus said because He said to do it.  The focus here is on the person of Jesus.  He's the Son of the living God, the Anointed One, the resurrected King under whose authority God has placed all of heaven and earth.  Yes, He's smart and wise; He is, after all, the treasury of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).  Yet, His wisdom is not the whole story.  He is authoritative in His wisdom.  I should do what He says because He knows what He's talking about but also because He has the authority from God to insist on being obeyed!

So there are two practical reasons to obey this man Jesus: 

1. What He says is true and it works in God's universe; my obedience to Him will be good for everyone involved, while my disobedience will be harmful to everyone involved.
2. If I don't obey Him, I will be at odds with Him and with the Father who appointed Him as my Lord (and why would anyone want to be at odds with them?)

As those who are so overwhelmingly loved by God - Father, Son and Spirit - and who sincerely love God in return, these practical reasons aren't the whole story.  Love is the great BECAUSE for us.  I will obey Him because I love Him and I want His best.  I want Him to have what makes Him happy.  I want to delight Him.  We remember what our Master said about the necessary implication of our love for Him: "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching" (John 14:23).

So then, let us do what our Master has said BECAUSE He's right, it works, He's Lord, and we love Him.  Any one of these by itself would be enough reason, really, but taken together they are incredibly compelling.  

Fully Persuaded

In reading thoughtfully through the book of Romans, I am struck by the heavy emphasis that the apostle Paul placed on the truth that our lives with God are based on trusting relationship rather than dutiful adherence to and dependence on rules.  He hovers on the story of Abraham quite a bit because Abraham's righteous relationship with God began before there was any regulation about circumcision or any Law given at Sinai.  "Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness."  

Of course, Abraham didn't just have a mental belief that God existed.  Such shallow belief is not the righteousness-producing faith of the Scriptures.  Remember what James wrote: "even the demons believe [that God exists], and they tremble" (James 2:19).  No, Abraham's trust inspired obedient action.  Even without a codified body of laws, Abraham was willing to obey God's commands.  His trust was so strong that he was even willing to sacrifice his own son on the altar just because God told him to do it!  

Why was he willing to obey God so completely, even when God's commands didn't make sense to him?  Paul gives us the key to Abraham's great trust (aka faith): he was "fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he promised" (Romans 4:21).  As the author of the book of Hebrews shows us, Abraham must have had such great trust in God's power to keep his promises that he reasoned God would bring his son back from the dead if He needed to (Hebrews 11:19)!

So how about it, disciples - are you cultivating a strong and steady trust in your God?  Are you fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He has promised you?  

Our lives with God are based on trust in His character.  We are not meant to trust only in what has happened in the past, but we are to base our present trust on the trustworthiness He has shown in the past.   When we read about what God has accomplished throughout time in the world of men, we are meant to be fueling our trust in His power and love to do what is good and best here and now.  He will meet your needs.  He will bring about justice for His righteous ones.  He will forgive you when you humbly repent and confess your sins.  He will work in all things to conform you into the likeness of His Son Jesus.  Count on these things just as Abraham counted on the fact that God would make Him the father of many nations (as unlikely as that seemed under the circumstances).  

In our desire to become fully persuaded about God's trustworthiness, We must be careful about how we go about it.  Becoming fully persuaded about anything is not an act of the will.  You cannot decide to be persuaded about something if you are not actually persuaded about it.  I might want to be persuaded, but if I'm not, then I'm not.  How do we become persuaded about things, then?  We must be persuaded by solid and convincing evidence.  Here is where the will has great influence.  The will must move us to search out and take seriously whatever evidence is available to us.  So what evidence of God's faithfulness, power and love do you have available to you?  Testimonies!  Whether they are in the Scriptures or elsewhere, find reliable testimonies of God's past faithfulness, power and love so that you can become increasingly persuaded.  In time, you will become fully persuaded and you will find that your eyes are opened more and more to the testimonies you yourself can add to the evidence.  

Like Abraham, we can live in freedom from the Law with its rules and regulations while still enjoying a strong relationship with the living God that is based on trust and love.  We can still be obedient and submissive because we have absolute confidence in Him.  May it be so!

Coke, Castles and Crackers - Why Taking the Long View Matters

I have a confession to make: I've got a lot to learn.  As much as my rabbi Jesus has taught me, shaped me and trained me, I have a lot of "old self" residue.  How do I know?  Coke, castles and crackers.

You see, I've learned from Jesus and many of His faithful disciples that my body is needing to be retrained.  My mortal body is doomed to die because of sin (Romans 8:10), but it isn't hopelessly corrupted.  It's habits, propensities and tendencies can be shaped by Jesus as surely as any other part of me can be.  In fact, by the very nature of what my body is, it has to respond to all of the teaching, shaping and training that my Master is doing to my mind, spirit and soul.

The body is simply an agent of expression of what is going on within me.  The parts of my body are instruments of righteousness and/or wickedness (Romans 6:13), but the righteousness or wickedness must fist reside within me.  Whatever behavior my body is engaged in is a revelation about my inner self, and every revelation of this kind is very useful to the Master as He shapes me. 

Lately He has been using Coke, castles and crackers.  Strange but true.  More than a handy alliteration for writing a blog title, these three things have shown me how much power my body still exerts over me and how easily I can yield control to my short-sighted desires.

Coke
I truly enjoy Coca-Cola Classic.  Besides water, it is the one drink that I desire to drink every day.  I don't drink it every day, but I desire to.  McDonald's hasn't helped me much in this regard because now I can purchase an absurdly sized cup of satisfying ice-cold Coca-Cola Classic for a mere $1.09.  My body has been so trained to enjoy and desire this refreshment that I have had to overcome the strong urge several times in the past week to make a quick stop at the nearest McDonald's on my way hither and yon.  Just a few extra minutes and an extra $1.09.  (Well, of course there's also the small matters of 600 or 700 extra calories and a concerning amount of high fructose corn syrup!)  I have resisted this urge more often than I've given in to it, but I have to stop and consider: why is the urge so very strong?

Castles
I also enjoy a good strategy video game.  I grew up with such games, and I am quite good at them (compared to myself, at least).  There's something in the psychology of a young guy, it seems, that thrives on the kinds of challenges these games provide.  They can actually convince me that I'm accomplishing something when I build (virtual) armies, fight (virtual) enemies and conquer (virtual) enemy castles.  Advertisers know it, too, because on so many ads I see the same language used over and over - "build", "expand", "empire", "conquer", etc.  Well, I've come a long way in my outlook about video games in general, and my Master has changed much in my mind and habits in that regard, but every once in a while I hit a roadblock.  This happened lately.  I found a game that has all the right ingredients to hook me.  I was hooked.  Yesterday, I had to delete the game from my device because I knew I was enjoying it too much for my own (or anyone else's) good.  Too much time and too much thought wasted on accomplishing achievements that aren't real and don't mean anything in real life.  Farewell, virtual empire.  I blew it there over the course of a day or so, but the Spirit of my Master was gracious to call me back to my senses.  Still, I have to stop and consider: why did that game have such a strong effect on me?

Crackers
Okay, this one's minor, but it's just as relevant to the point.  I picked up some Triscuits for the family on my last grocery trip.  These things are highly enjoyable and very delicious.  This is why I will find myself drawn to our pantry when I think of these crackers.  Every now and again I will, even if my stomach is full from a satisfying meal, feel a strong urge to have a handful of crackers.  This enjoyment lasts all of ten to twenty seconds, and then I have to deal with the long term effects of the ingested calories and salt.  Sometimes I do go to the pantry and destroy some delicious crackers; sometimes I don't.  Either way, I have to stop and consider: why do I have such strong urges to snack even when I'm not hungry?

These are just three of the many examples I could give that illustrate the difficulty I have in keeping my body in check.  There are worse things, aren't there?  These things are the ones that would automatically pop to the top of your "carnal sins" list, are they?  Ah, but that's not the point.  As a disciple of Jesus, I'm not just learning how to avoid the big, bad and socially embarrassing sins.  I'm actually learning how to align my whole self (all of its elements) under the kingdom way of life that Jesus reveals to us. 

You have your examples, too, don't you?  Some may be big, some may be small.  It so often seems that our bodies have minds of their own.  The truth is, though, that our bodies' minds are our minds.  Our bodies have been trained and conditioned by the way we think and view the world.  When the mind, spirit and soul within us are corrupted, our bodies will reveal them to be corrupted.  When they are made new and transformed, our bodies will reveal them to be so.  We cannot just blame our bodies for making things hard for us; we have to engage in the process of discipleship to Jesus so that whatever reconditioning needs to happen to our bodies can actually take place.

One of the most powerful changes in the mind that can occur in regards to dealing with Coke, castles and crackers (or whatever your examples may be) is that of time perspective.  When the rabbi Jesus announces to me the very real and eternal kingdom of God that is available to me right now, I have a seismic shift in my way of viewing the world.  I learn from Him that I'm an eternal being who is engaged in an eternal purpose with eternal consequences for myself and others, and this means there's only one reasonable way to view the limited time I have in this mortal phase of my life.  He is teaching me in big and small things to judge their merit and value through the lens of eternal consequence.  Our sinful natures thrive on immediate consequence while Jesus is instructing us to set our eyes on eternal consequence.  I am learning to ask, "Will this do any real good for the eternal kingdom of God?"  I am training to more and more naturally think in terms of the ultimate result of things.  This is far more than wondering if an action will lead to my going to Heaven or Hell.  I don't really need to think that through most of the time.  No, the greater discipline is in discerning what has value for my King and others in the long term.

Coke, (virtual) castles and crackers don't pass the long view test, do they?  I suppose I might enjoy them in moderation and give thanks to my Master for such enjoyments, but I'll not become dependent on them or subject to them 1 Corinthians 6:12).  My body will just have to go without.  My desires will just have to go unfulfilled.  That's alright because I'm not the King anyway.  I know the King, and I know that He's got more important things on His mind these days.  I should probably get on with chasing those things instead of the temporarily enjoyable but eternally negligible ones that still tug on my mind and body every now and again.  With the eternal kingdom in mind, all of life becomes a lot more focused and so much more meaningful.  Thank you, Rabbi.

Substance and Shadow

"Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow." 

 - Aesop, 'The Dog and the Shadow'

In Aesop's fable 'the Dog and the Shadow', a dog with meat in its mouth crosses over a brook on a bridge.  While crossing, he sees his own shadow, and, thinking that he's seeing another dog with meat in its mouth, he attempts to snatch the meat from its mouth.  In trying to get the shadow meat, he drops his real meat into the brook and loses it.  Bummer.

As in all of Aesop's best teaching fables, there's a biting irony here.  Our greed and discontent can end up robbing us of the real and present good that we actually possess (or, at the very least, our enjoyment of it).  I've been struck recently about how easy this has been for me to do in terms of the Gospel of Jesus and His kingdom.  We who have received the wondrous and life-changing gifts of Jesus and His kingdom life (eternal in both quality and quantity) have what we really want and what we really need.  We have what is really, really good and absolutely real.  It is also true of us that we who have been made new inwardly still have eyes and ears of flesh.  We see other things that we want and seem to need.  We see the shadows of earthly pleasures, preoccupations and distractions.  

The terrible trouble comes for us when we try to have both the substance and the shadow.  Our fable dog would have been fine if it thought the shadow was real but contentedly said to itself, "How nice for that dog - it has a good meal, too."  Instead, it thought that it ought to have the other dog's meal as well.  "Why shouldn't I have two meals and that dog have none?"  (This dog sounds startlingly like my sinful nature that's still lurking about within me).  You see, the trouble wasn't that the shadow was there, but that the dog couldn't let it alone.  Our trouble isn't that distractions exist or that we can see things that compete for our devotion or attention.  No, the trouble is that we just won't let them be.

Whether as individual disciples of Jesus or as communities of disciples, we have to be decidedly content with the all-sufficient and perfectly satisfying kingdom reality of God.  We won't be without enjoyments in this life, but neither will we be ruled by them.  We'll hold firmly to the true treasure of life with God and fellowship (i.e. sharing and camaraderie) with Jesus.  

C.S. Lewis saw it clearly when he wrote: 

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."  (from 'The Weight of Glory')

We are only in danger when by sight we lower our standards and pursue a shadowy substitute for the real treasure we're meant to possess.  God's present yet eternal kingdom is the real treasure, (though it can seem the more shadowy at the moment), and the one who promises it will deliver it to those who trust Him.  Yet, we must seek it.  We must pursue it.  

We'll have to lose out on some things to gain the kingdom, but, let's be honest, walking passed a shadow is a small price to pay for a meal of real meat.  Or, to put it Scripturally: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV).

How to Know You're Doing Well

A dear sister asked me a question recently that is absolutely wonderful (paraphrasing): "How do I know if Jesus will say 'Well done' to me?" or perhaps it was, "How do I know if I'm doing well?"

We had been sitting under the Master's teaching about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple as well as His coming again (Mark 13).  In doing so, we considered the words we long to hear from our Master when He will have evaluated our service to Him: "Well done, productive and trustworthy servant!  You have been faithful to serve my interests with a few things, now I will entrust much more to you.  Come and share in your Master's celebration!" (Matthew 25:21,23 paraphrased).  We all want to hear that.  We all ache to hear those words (or any like them) pass through our Master's lips.  Wanting it and being confident about it are two different things, so her question is a necessary and burning one.  I was about to respond to her in a personal message then realized that perhaps others have the same question and could use some encouragement about it as well.  Here's a running start at answering the question...


Ultimately, our confidence when we stand before our Master will be based on two essential things: 1) we knew what He wanted us to do, and 2) we did it.  Consider our Master's expression of this:

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."  Luke 12:47-48

In order to serve the Master's interests well in His (physical) absence, we have to be clear about what we've been given to do.  Some of the work is general, meaning we're all meant to take part in it.  Other work is delegated specially to specific people.  We are all meant to be a part of the great work of making disciples and nurturing them to maturity, but we play different roles in that process.  "The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor" (1 Corinthians 3:8).  We're all meant to lovingly serve one another, especially those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:10), but that service may differ from person to person based on resources, opportunities and life circumstances. 

The key to all of this is simply to be faithful disciples of Jesus who continually grow in our understanding of what He cares about and what matters to Him.  He'll tell us, "Well done!" if we use the resources that He's entrusted to us (time, money, relationships, possessions, abilities, etc.) to further His purposes and interests.  Are we generous?  Are we others-centered?  Do we expend ourselves for the good of that needy one over here and over there?  In short, do we love - proactively, reactively and sacrificially?

So what does our Master value?  I, like all of my fellow disciples, am still growing in my understanding of this, but I can say this much with certainty: He values God's glory and people's fullness of life.  Think on His life and words, and what do you have to conclude?  His resources (including His teachings) were poured out in order to draw eternally valuable people into the reality of God's very near kingdom so they could know the fullness of life.  This was and is salvation in its fullest sense.  I am convinced that our Master will commend most highly those who used whatever they had (be it much or little) to further the reach of the kingdom in the lives of people.  Remember what our Master said: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).

It takes discipline and perseverance to steadily grow in understanding of our Lord's intentions and purposes, but we can do it.  In fact, we're meant to.  Knowing is the first necessary step.  Doing comes next, and it's the doing that will require the lion's share of God's grace toward us and our efforts for Him.  Knowing and doing that which our Master has left us to do is the sum total of our purpose in living these mortal lives, and this is why we must mean it when we say, "I am, before anything in my life, a disciple of Jesus Christ."