The Lord Adorns

For the Lord . . . adorns the poor with victory. 

 - From Psalm 149

I don't know why statements like this are not emphasized more, in these times. 

The corrupt political order is putting people at each other's throats, dividing us every which way, most notably, by socio-economic class. Greed (the vice of the rich) and envy (the vice of the poor) are driving our decisions, from where to eat, to how to vote. 

But the Bible is very clear, God has not held back the truth . . . that the poor have got it made. 

Yes, yes I know. Not now. Not in this life. But we know with almost perfect certainty, that the wealthy are as Kris Kristofferson described them: weak. 

And if beggars can't be choosers, til they're weak and wealthy men.

I would have people in a congregation turn and look at each other. Turn and look around. Find someone that has less wealth than you do. God has placed them ahead of you. 

Coarse? Maybe. But isn't that what the Psalmist does over and over again?

We should prepare the poor right now. We should treat them as the royalty that they are. Now.

Come to think of it . . . that practice alone would solve a whole bunch of our most dangerous social problems, instantly!

Abstain

. . . but we should write to them to abstain only from . . .  

 - From Acts 15

The Gospel of Christ was Good News. There is a lot of it that's Good: Happiness now; freedom regardless of our circumstances; healing; wisdom; protection and sustenance; a direct link to the Father; Eternal Life. 

But He even provided something for the worldly-minded. This whole idea of The Law, a set of rules and routines that you must do, with regularity, in order to maintain your right standing with God; these were burdensome, and in the end, impossible to follow faithfully, or enough to merit eternal favor in God's eyes. 

(That's why we had the law. Because it is in human nature to want a "king." To have someone to take care of us; feed us; protect us; create economic opportunities for us; keep us safe. And we have a preference for rules. Just tell me what to do, and I will do it. Give me lots of activities. Keep me busy. Give me rituals. At least that way my mind is temporarily divorced from my horrible anxieties).

But rituals do not save us, not eternally. We want real happiness, real freedom, and real eternal life - - - and life, abundantly. That's the Gospel. 

So the restrictions and the parameters of The Law were cut way back. Some day The Law was completely obliterated so that we would not have to do any of it. All we had to do was trust Christ.

But James, the Lord's brother, reminded us that there were still some practices from which we should abstain. There are certain human acts which are so selfish and carnal in nature, that they do, in fact, get in the way of growth in Christ, and of making pure hearts for ourselves. James quoted the prophets, in listing these things to avoid. 

Now, it's not a ritual that must be practiced. It isn't a regular, weekly fast from something that normally is good for us. James says we should not do these things. Because they are selfish, and are not in line with Christ's purity. 

And the reader is left to dig the list out, at his or her leisure. 

Shame

And my people shall never again be put to shame.

  - From Joel 2

Do you hesitate to share your innermost, precious thoughts, to others? Even when it's your closest and most long-term friends and family members - do you hold back? Does it create nervousness, anxiety, and even sadness, for you not to just share your hopes, fears, frustrations, concerns, and dreams? 

Is the reason that you refrain from expressing your viewpoints because you have been made to feel shame for having them in the first place? Have you become what the Bible calls a wanderer, an alien in your own land and country, and among your own people?

Has the frustration compounded, so that now you are a like a pressure-cooker that needs a valve released, to prevent a dangerous explosion?

This is not the way our culture should be. Nobody advises troubled marriages to bottle up their deepest emotions. No one thinks it's a good idea for corporate teams to divide themselves into warring tribes. No expert actually believes it was a bad idea for the American experiment not to have freedom of conscience and speech as the centerpiece of a historic reform movement. 

The phrase "shut up" is now verboten in our culture. It is considered rude and insulting. But the thing most objectionable about it, and everybody knows it, is the idea that one person can tell another person what to say, and what not to say. "Shut up" is almost as bad as the "f word." We frown upon its use. 

But in practice, we are telling people to "shut up" all the time, in our cancel culture and codified political correctness.

The anti-freedom of speech crowd - the true tyrants themselves - have apparently succeeded in making people feel shame, simply for having thoughts and perspectives that, frankly, they have little control over. As Matt Hook has said: "You can outlaw certain behaviors and call it hate. But you can never make a person not hate another." 

It is all accomplished via the use of shame. 

Hundreds of years before Christ, the prophet told about a time when we will no longer be ashamed. 

You know . . . that future day when you can have your own thoughts. Express your own views. Be yourself, your real self! 

And no one will shame you. They won't guilt you. And they won't even want to. 

Anointed

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. 

 - From Luke 4

I marvel at the childish way people screw up the message of the Gospel. And I am not talking about believers. At least they're trying to understand it. They may be willfully stubborn, in maintaining their biases. They're human. But they put themselves in a position to hear the Gospel regularly, and that is good. 

No, rather, I am referring to doubters in our culture, and the ostensible believers that align with them. 

Like the Adversary tempting Christ, or the Serpent in the Garden tempting Eve; doubters try to quote Scripture. They love the references to caring about immigrants, replete throughout the Old Testament. And they're right to remind us of that. But it is the only thing they talk about, because they just want to score debate points. They don't care about becoming better people, themselves. They're just contrary. 

One of my favorites is the classic "why would a loving God . . . ?", especially when regurgitated by everyone from doubters, to scoffers, to agnostics, to atheists (and to their curious allies within the Church). It's not a direct quote of Scripture, per se - - - but it is a direct inference to the Biblical dictum that God is Love. And, if I may, so many of the corps of doubters fall easily within the Left end of the political spectrum. 

Of course, we would first need to run a thirteen week seminar on the true definition of Love, but for now we can just settle on Christ's own words, describing the point of His ministry. Look at his priorities:

• The poor
• Captives
• The blind
• The oppressed

This is right out of the Left's playbook! No, I take that back. It is not out of their playbook. It's out of their talking points. If they really cared about the truly needy, they would find an organization that has been chartered around caring for others (the Church), and work together! They would NOT waste so much time picking at faults and making judgments. 

To people on the Left that love to stick your finger in the eyes of Christians: Leave them alone. They're doing the best they can (just as you are). Focus on their Founder and Leader, Jesus Christ, and follow HIS teachings. He was talking about the things that you claim most concern you, two thousand years before you were born!

Only

Only Luke is with me. 

 - From II Timothy 4

You gotta show up. I have shared this thought before. For most of our lives, this is not based on what we say, or do, or think. Rather, it's whether or not we're there. Or here. Or present. Right now, right now.

When I spent an overnight in a hospital years ago, during a heart scare, I found that I appreciated visitors, but not just to talk to me. I liked it, simply, just for them to be there. In the room. Not even in sight necessarily. It helped for them just to be there. To be present. 

Yesterday in church, Dr. Matt Hook urged us to learn God's will. Not necessarily His will for me. Not His will for the future. Just: His Will. Now. Right here. In this moment. 

And God's will always has to do with others. Taking care of them. Listening to them. And that requires simply that you be there. With them. That's it.

We are sensory beings. We can feel, smell, taste, hear, and see. All of these things bring us the gamut of what it means to be alive. We experience joy, and we experience devastation - all because we have these senses. Our senses are do powerful, that they can easily override our facilities of wisdom and of judgment. It is so easy just to fall back on what feels good. 

It's almost like the war between evil and good is more like a war between feelers and thinkers. The problem is that both sides, in any conflict, claim to be the ones that think, while the those on the other side are the feelers. But therein lies a very important point: Whether we are feelers, or thinkers, humans seem to realize instantly that it is better to be a thinker. 

Paul companions all left him, because something else felt better. They came to miss their warm bed and daily fellowship with friends and family so much, that it was no longer important to them, to stay with Paul, minister to him, and be integral parts of world history and the advancement of God's eternal kingdom. 

But Luke stayed. And Luke is remembered. And Luke will certainly be present in eternity. 

Truth, and eternity, and equity, and justice, and all good things, have nothing to do with democracy and majorities. The closer you get to virtue, the fewer people you will find. 

Only Luke. 

And that is important to remember in these troubled, partisan, bitter times. 

More

I have more understanding than all my teachers, 

 - From Psalm 119

I discovered something transformational in the past couple of weeks. 

In attempting to complete a daily list of tasks, I was always coming up short. Invariably, I would put the really important things, like practicing my music, reading, and most importantly, prayer, to the bottom of the list, so that I can focus on more "urgent" things. 

I got the idea to have a goal of, say, ten minutes per day in focused prayer. But still I wasn't getting to it. 

I broke the ten minutes into one minute sessions, that I would accumulate until reaching ten minutes for the day. But that didn't work either. So I tried something crazy and counter-intuitive . . . 

I broke the one-minute slots into one-second slots. I added a twist: these very short slots would be placed in my task list, every five or six items. And with each successive round, I would add a second, and keep track of the accumulations. 

Okay, by now the reader is thinking this all is just crazy. But here's what I discovered:

A one-second prayer, in which all I do is mouth the words "My Father, God," has way more power than we realize. In three seconds, you can say "My Father, my Creator . . . ". And by the time you get to ten seconds, you are including a short confession, or request for forgiveness. 

The main takeaway is this: Even one, five, ten, or thirty seconds of focused prayer can add great value to your entire day. And admittedly, this already is far more than most people do on any given day. A short break, just to fully focus and say "My Father God" has great power. I recommend it. 

And this gets us on our way to what the Psalmist is talking about in #119. All knowledge, all wisdom, all learning, all excellence . . . begins with a simple acknowledgement of God. 

Humanity 2.0

 I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts . . . 

   - From Jeremiah 31

Why would a loving God just let us continue forever in sin, evil, and death?

Exactly. 

But the people that ask such questions always tend to be the last to welcome this opportunity to rid the earth of evil. (By the way . . . why are they always only concerned about evil in the world, without ever mentioning death at the end of all lives as the true problem?)

They don't want God's law written on their hearts. They don't want to be changed. If they're the cause of evil in the world (even a little bit) they don't want to know it. They don't even consider it. They are incapable of thinking about it. 

Their solution to the world's problems is "Somebody take care of it. Somebody that's not me. Because I am as I am and I will never change."

Right.

God gives us the chance to change, and to be the people that, if we're truly honest and truly caring, we actually want to be. Don't you want to become immortal? Don't you want to have perfect control over your thoughts and words? Why is there resistance to this?

God's solution is something like an upgrade. We are still who we always are, but better. We still laugh and love. Except that we will live forever and we won't go around making others miserable. 

Jeremiah got this. The "crying prophet," whose life was awash in sadness - probably to the point of clinical depression - had to rejoice in thinking about God's plan to upgrade creation. 

And that means, all of us. 

Feet

He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet.

 - From Luke 17

At first the ten lepers kept their distance from everybody, especially Jesus. They didn't have global corporations funding research into contagious and deadly skin diseases, breaking down the viruses and bacteria at the cellular level, artificially mutating them, developing antidotes and vaccines on the side (just in case); maybe accidentally releasing some viral agent into the community - with of course, not even a faint wink or nod in the direction of stock values.

They just knew that they needed to keep their distance, and there was enough regard for authority of any kind that they paid particular attention to staying clear of the Lord. 

But after He healed them, one of them came running back, a Samaritan (or, someone from a religious or social sect considered beneath the Judeans). This Samaritan was no longer concerned about social distancing. He had been healed!

When you've been sick, you take care to recover and not spread your ailment to others. 

But the goal is always to get well. Your objective is to get things back to normal. We are a problem-solving and creative creature. The goal is normalcy, predictability, steadiness, structure, and routine. We need those things in order to do the value-added and life-enriching activities, like hobbies and the arts, that make life worth living. 

We want to be normal. As soon as we are well, we immediately forget that we're sick. We go back to normal behavior where we no longer see others as pariahs, but rather, we embrace closeness to others and even throw ourselves at each other's feet!

We're okay now. We're well. We're healed. We're safe.

We should be running back to the attitude of being okay . . . and even dive at the feet of anything, or anybody, that represents normal.

Wrangle

 . . . and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words.

 - From 2 Timothy 2

I have to admit, I had to go and double-check the definition of the word "wrangle." I always assumed that I knew what it meant. It seems like it had some connection to working on a horse ranch; or shepherding a herd of wild horses. Cowboys are wranglers, because they're outside with lassos and chaps. Wrangler is a popular brand of blue jeans . . . with a really cool "Old West"-looking logo. 

But if I had to provide an accurate and concise definition, without looking it up, I couldn't.

Paul warned us not to wrangle over words. 

Wordnik.com offers this definition: To quarrel noisily or angrily.

Now that I can understand. 

It is in the nature of my own distinct understanding of Scripture. that it draws a lot of wranglers into my vicinity, if all I do is assert an honest tenet of my beliefs. 

Facebook is a haven for digital wranglers. People argue for the sake of arguing, or to make sure other people can see how bright, or articular, or smart, or well-read, or terse, or glib they are. It seems like that's all that happens on Facebook: wrangling. 

Wrangling is arguing that has no point. It is two or more people trying to outwit each other, getting themselves hatefully cross at each other. And "hatefully" is a deliberate and accurate characterization of what's going on. 

We're training ourselves how to hate. 

We will contend with evil. We will use words from Holy Spirit, in defending our faith. We will counter-punch when someone takes a verbal jab at God and His Son. 

But we must resist wrangling with other believers (for this weakens the Body). We must not wrangle with unbelievers either. Pointless, vain disputes that are no less than virtue signaling, and that really are unseemly attempts at drawing attention to oneself. 

That's all it is. Let's not wrangle. 

Study

 Great are the deeds of the Lord! they are studied by all who delight in them.

 - From Psalm 111

This is something that I do not do, enough:

Study

I need to study the music that I am supposed to be preparing for performance, with other people, in ensembles, for audiences. Don't just practice - study.

This requires me to listen to recordings of the music. Maybe read up on the back story. Collaborate with the other artists involve. Have practice sessions with them, that go deeper into the music than a formal rehearsal (you should be well-oiled and well-prepped by the time you get to rehearsal).

I need to study the news. I need to study the problems of my friends and family. Research. Understand. Empathize. 

I need to study the problems that I am going through. Learn their labels. Understand root causes. Talk to others dealing with the same thing. 

Studying is the opposite of ignoring. It gets you beyond simple awareness. You study so that you can know, and know well. You study in order to memorize. Your studying makes important concepts get locked away into your heart and conscience. Study can remake you into a better person. Study is necessary for continual personal improvement. 

Every moment is an opportunity to study something: a problem, a virtue, a milestone; something outside ourselves. Something that connects us to the world around us. Things that are not simply what's going on between our ears. 

Study = presence of mind. It equals perspective. It equals wisdom. It equals perspective. And it equals humility. 

So study.