Here

. . . you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

 - From Isaiah 58

Isaiah was thought to be kind of a crazy man. He was a zealot, a manic-obsessive street preacher that was considered a byword to the elites of his day. His book is very lengthy, by biblical standards, and it's chock full of warnings, condemnations, admonishments, judgments, promises, and tender words of hope. 

He was kind of a Last Stand of the Age of the Prophets. Once more round of putting it to God's people, calling on them to turn around, and reminding them, one more time, that a Savior was coming, that redemption was nigh, and that in the end, all is not lost. 

It comes to me this morning, in a particularly timely way; as answered prayer, as direct words of encouragement from on high. 

The entire chapter is about us actually doing what modern democrats are so single-minded about: care for the needy, open our homes, feed the hungry, heal the sick, clothe the naked . . . and to it now, you hypocrites!

It is a commentary on fasting. Yes, you religious people are so good with your traditions and rituals; but all you do is argue with one another!!



But while the democrats are right to point out what Christians SHOULD be doing, Isaiah takes it a step further and says You people that talk it about it so much, should be doing it yourselves! 

Not once is it suggested that Judah and Israel need a government approach to these acts of godly charity. So it is with those that judge - - - it always comes full circle, and you find yourself guilty, more than all the others!

It takes so long for justice to be served. Sometimes it never occurs in this life. But God dwells in eternity, and His promises are do good, they are as good as done. 

Your vindicator will go before you. But go, you must. You do not follow your vindicator . . . you take the first step, you move, you act; but God takes a position in front of you, like the advance lines of a military thrust into enemy territory. 

When God moves, when He takes up your case, even if you have spent decades waiting, wondering if there would ever be justice, He says Here I am. Here and now, in this place. Right now, in the present moment. And He was always Here. He was always Now. And eventually His hand moves, in our timeline, and you realize that He really was there all along. As Russ Taff says in his song Right Here, Right Now, God does not exist in time. He's always Right Here, Right Now. 

So go . . . take the step. Act. God goes before you. 

On this particular morning, it is exactly what I needed to hear. 

Shine

. . . let your light shine before others . . . 

 - From Matthew 5

This passage used to scare me. It seemed to be saying that I had to go out and share the Gospel all over the place, otherwise I would be dead. I thought I had to go up to strangers, acquaintances, friends and family, with the awkward refrain "Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?" 

Because, you know, that's what all the celebrity prevaricators tell us we had to do. 

I'm reminded of something Archie Woods pointed out once - that our faces actually emit light. 

Moses came down from the mountain, and he glowed. 

People that had been with Jesus had an aura about them. The medieval artists would try to portray this, with little halos drawn around the saints. 

I once had a conversation with my cousin, Larry Johnson (RIP), in which we talked about the beauty of Christian women. I said "They may not be pretty in a worldly sense . . . there's just . . . " 

"Something about them," as Larry finished my sentence. 

There may be a glow around the saintly, or the righteous. Perhaps that is why the world hates Christians so . . . people want that same glow, without expressing the simple faith it takes, to channel it. 

It's not about asking an awkward question . . . the light that shines before the world is our good works, our deeds expressed in love. Our uncomplaining existence in The Moment. Our positive vibe. Our servant attitude. 

That's much better. When they see your goodness (expressed through your actions), then eventually they will come to say "Oh, he's a Christian." 

And this is how the process starts . . . 

Lofty

I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.

 - From 1 Corinthians 2

It's surprising that nobody has latched onto this principle, when debating in the early 21st Century public square of ideas. 

Instead, we do rely on lofty words or wisdom. We talk about facts and logic. We clarify the emotional basis of our opponents' arguments. We cite our own superior education and background. 

We laugh, on national TV, as we mock the "hick" proclivities of our adversaries. 

I've always been more drawn to the high-school educated, and my blue-collar friends and family. I used to say that I'd rather hear a devotional by a farmer, spoken from the heart, than I would a homily presented by a graduate of the Dallas Theological Seminary. 

When someone touts their long resume of research and degrees, and their knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, it's hard for me to keep listening. Yes, it's rude. I should apologize to them when this happens. 

There's a blindness find only among those with lofty worldly credentials. Our preponderance of useless college degrees . . . and the ability for some people to find gainful employment with them, is an unfortunate blot on our generation. 

Does it feed the hungry? House the homeless? Build up children? Serve the elderly? Our problem-solving is so self-centered, on the part of the solvers. Everybody wants to be noticed. Nobody wants to notice those closest to them. 

The Gospel is simple. It doesn't require a bunch of wealthy, successful, learned, "respectable" people to understand it. We should not yield to their position and authority so much. If we should resist anything, it should be the charge that perhaps we are "elitists." If you are being categorized that way, find out why, and make yourself more accessible to the real people standing on solid ground. 

Angry

The wicked will see it and be angry . . . 

 - From Psalm 112

What will the wicked see, that will exercise them so?

The entire 112th Psalm is almost entirely about the attitudes and acts of the righteous. They're kind, generous, happy. 

They're wealthy . . . but even if they live in darkness, there is a light in their lives that gets them through it. 

Is it true that wealth and generosity and happiness makes the wicked angry? I'm afraid so. 

Maybe we should be careful about what makes us mad . . . and whether or not we should go around being mad. Yes, there are outrageous things going on all around us. And we should be upset. But anger is a thing today, in 2020 (the year of vision? Please). It seems relatively an easy thing to accomplish: Get all mad about something. Get a photo made. Put it on-line and watch it go viral. 

We celebrate anger. Christians celebrate anger. Christian clergy and academia are often in the lead of dividing the populace and placing themselves on the angry side. 

Happiness. Wealth. Generosity. Righteousness. 

Conduct a little study today. Look for evidence of the above four italicized concepts on-line. What is the philosophy of the people exhibiting such traits? Are they wealthy? Righteous? Ahem . . . Christian? Do they model fidelity and moderation? Or even . . . abstinence (not just sexual)? 

Now look for angry people and reflect upon their worldview. 

It's as if people start out by wanting to be angry, and then go looking for, or inventing, reasons to be mad. 

The newborn learn anger and frustration first. The immature are not able to accept, to wait, to endure life tests. They get mad. 

I must be a good person, because I'm mad. Now what's your problem?

Is it really true that the wicked see good things, and get mad? Do they fail even to see the good around them? Are they only happy, when they can paint others in the worst possible light?

Yes . . . I believe it is really true.

Let's be careful not to be mad. People get enough of that. You don't have to make your point by being another angry person. You're bringing us all down. Be the exception. Let your light shine. 

Appearances Matter: 2&3 John, and Jude (TEN YEARS!)

First published Sunday, January 31, 2010

Consider the person around you, living a lifestyle that you know is not right. Almost certainly, this person's choices reflect behaviors that once would be almost universally understood as immoral.

But I had rather not go there in detail! Any discussion of morality, in today's society, is muzzled by the pressure of political correctness. What once was thought of as immoral is considered admirable in today's society. And many virtues from former times, are now vices.

So let me not belabor those points.

But what if we challenged people - all kinds of people, living a variety of lifestyles - to observe others, and copy behaviors and lifestyles that were considered "good", while avoiding those that are "bad"?

Dear friend, don't imitate the evil you see, imitate the goodness you see, because someone who does good comes from God.

Okay, so now we've got something. If I urge you to find a good person - and imitate the good things that person does - then in one sweep I may have caused you to examine yourself.

You will not see a person smoking, and think to yourself "That's good. I'll do that." You might take up smoking, but you will know that you are willfully making a wrong choice.

If someone encourages you to shoplift, and you take the advice, you are not going to be thinking "I must lift some merchandise because it is a good and right thing to do!" In your heart you know that you have done wrong.

The same would hold true of any moral issue. We do not engage in any type of immoral behavior (please use a broad definition of what is moral) as a result of convincing ourselves that to do so is morally right.

But those giving advice always fall down, when attempting to correct the wayfaring ones. "Who are you to judge me?" Now I believe that the person making such a statement has already pronounced judgment on him or herself.

You do not criticize a person that is engaged in true, selfless acts of kindness toward others (unless you have some unchecked mean streak in your heart). And if I did criticize someone for doing good, that other person is extremely unlikely to say "Who gave you the right to judge me?"

Acts of kindness are not the same as willful disobedience to God. The person so engaged has no reason to become defensive.

So let's get away from comments that can be held as being judgmental. Do not give others the opportunity to indulge the flesh, first by choosing wrong, and later by striking back defensively against those that have questioned their choices.

Just urge them to copy goodness, and avoid badness. Deep down, they know the difference!